Celebrating Simplicity: Quick and Easy Carrot Sesame Salad

When I think of Japanese cuisine, one of the words that comes to mind is “simple.” Not all Japanese dishes are simple, but many celebrate flavors and ingredients through simplicity. Some of my favorite dishes have relatively few ingredients and focus on highlighting flavors and celebrating certain seasonal ingredients. Leonardo DaVinci is quoted as having said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” I think that Japanese cuisine exhibits this in abundance.I have recently fallen in love with this quick and simple carrot sesame salad. It is simplicity at its best–light, flavorful, and good for you too! What’s even better is that it takes about 5 minutes to make and Squirrel eats it like it’s candy. The thin crunchy bits of carrot, nuttiness of the sesame oil, and bit of zing from the citrus combine to make this a refreshing dish. The salad can be made ahead of when you are going to serve it–the flavors just get better as the salad sits and marinates for a bit. It makes a wonderful addition to a meal or bento, but is just as good as a healthy afternoon snack.Carrot Sesame SaladFrom Just BentoMakes 6 small servings

I would love to make this for Yasu but he won’t eat raw carrot, he says that the vitamin e will be taken away from your body. There’s nothing i can do or say that will make him change his mind :( Japanese people believe weird things sometimes!

Reading Kelly’s comment that reminded me that I have had a number of Japanese people say that they can’t/don’t eat raw carrot. With a recipe like this though, it’s obvious that it’s not all over Japan.

I pretty much want to be buried in sesame oil! I’ve been making a carrot salad like this for years and just love it. I have it late at night when I’m craving Asian flavors whilst blogging. Good for you too!